The British last an average of eight minutes and twenty-two seconds before they lose temper, according to new research.
The Internet has increased people’s service demands and it is destroying the classic British characteristic of patience．More than half of the British have admitted they lose their temper quicker than ever before．People have become so used to the speed and convenience of the Internet that more than seven in ten get angry if forced to wait longer than one minute for a web page to download．
Being kept on hold made the British see red more than anything else, with the average person reaching their impatience limit after five minutes and four seconds.
In today’s fast food culture, restaurant rage starts after only eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds, when the average diner will start to wonder whether the meal they have ordered will ever arrive.
People running late to meet a friend should not leave it any longer than ten minutes and one second if they do not want to face their anger.
Finally, when receiving a text or voicemail, be warned that the clock is ticking as the average Englishman expects a response within thirteen minutes and sixteen seconds.
Mark Schmid, of telecom giant TalkTalk, which conducted the research among 2,050 people, said that the speed of the online world is making us less prepared to wait for things to happen in the offline world．“This is causing people to reach the point of impatience earlier than ever before.”
60．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．More than half of the British get angry more easily than before.
B．Waiting for an Internet page to download will make half of the British angry.
C．Any Englishman may last 8 minutes and 22 seconds before they lose temper.
D．Waiting for friends to show up within 10 minutes and 1 second will not be acceptable.
61．The underlined word “rage” in the passage can be replaced by ___________.
A．disappointment B．sadness C．annoyance D．worry
62．According to the passage, the following things may make people impatient EXCEPT ___________.
A．the response to a text massage B．the food service in a restaurant
C．the speed of the Internet D．the business trade
63．The passage is mainly about ___________.
A．how long the British can keep their temper
B．when people lose temper easily
C．what makes the British lose temper quicker
D．why the Internet influences people’s life
Hotlines have become common in China. Some radio broadcasting stations use hotlines to encourage the listeners to take part in the talk shows.
That’s a good idea. Yet, the fact is, some people do nothing but break the whole program.
Some people know little about the topic under discussion. Sometimes they do not even know what the host is talking about. So the host has to tell the caller what the show is about. Usually the caller will ask a few questions which express his hope and show his ignorance (无知). Then the host has to answer and explain—how silly this is! It wastes a lot of time.
It seems that some people phone the hotlines for fun. They just want to let the listeners hear them. They don’t care what the topic is, whether they themselves are interested or how silly they appear to be.
I’m totally bored by those people. It’s necessary for radio stations to improve the hotline programmers. In my opinion, if a caller does not know what is going on, the operator should not let the caller take part in it.The sentence “some people do nothing but break the whole program” may tell us that _____.
| A．radio stations use hotlines in a wrong way |
| B．it is a fact |
| C．it is a good idea |
| D．some people have unclear thoughts |
Some calls waste the host’s time __________.
| A．because the host works hard |
| B．because of the caller’s ignorance |
| C．because the host likes talking to the caller |
| D．because of a lot of questions raised by the caller |
Dolphins（海豚）are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this, they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time―at least twenty or thirty years. Like some animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.
Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people.
There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to 1903, Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded Jack. He recovered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area－except for The Penguin.
Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them. Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they _____.
| A．live in groups | B．have large brains | C．are warm-blooded | D．have their own language |
Which of the following does the dolphin use to help it find its way around?
| A．Its nose. | B．Its ears. | C．Its mouth. | D．Its eyes. |
Why did the sailors off the coast of New Zealand look for Jack?
| A．He was lonely and liked to be with people. |
| B．They enjoyed playing with him. |
| C．He was seriously wounded. |
| D．They wanted his help. |
By telling the story of Jack, the writer wanted to show that _____.
| A．dolphins are friendly and clever | B．people are cruel to animals |
| C．Jack is different from other dolphins | D．dolphins should be protected by law |
Today our lives are changing faster than at any time in history. Here we report on three important changes that will have a big impact on our everyday lives in the future．
The cashless society
Cash and bank-notes will disappear almost completely. They will be replaced by smart cards, namely plastic cards: microchip（微芯片）processors（处理器）loaded with some money. When we pay for goods，the shop assistant will put our smart card into a payment terminal（终端）and money will come into his card from our card. When all the money is used up，we will be able to reloadit by putting it into a telephone，dialing our bank account and money will be put into the card from the account.
Interactive telephones
Talking computers will play an important part. They will recognize speech, ask us what information we need, look through a database，and put the information into speech．If we want to book a flight or pay a bill by phone, we will interact with a talking computer to do so. Human telephone operators will be used only for more complex operations such as dealing with complaints or solving special problems.
Traffic jams in cities will be reduced because drivers will use electronic route maps to find the quickest route to their destination. Electronic systems will start changing motorists for driving in cities．As soon as motorists have to pay to drive in cities, they will stop using their cars and use public transport instead. Speed control systems will be built into cars. These systems will automatically（自动地）regulate the speed of the car to take account of traffic and weather conditions and prevent accidents. It will be many years before these changes bring results but when they do，there will be a titanic improvement in road safety.
With the development of science and technology, more and more advanced things will be invented or created. Life in the future is undoubtedly different from that at the present. Cash and bank-note will disappear because .
| A．they will be out of use sooner or later |
| B．they will be replaced by plastic cards convenient to use |
| C．we can load money from the bank |
| D．they will be rejected by payment terminals |
What will you do if the money in your card is used up?
| A．Go to the bank to deposit some money. |
| B．Put the card into a telephone and dial the bank account. |
| C．Buy a new card. |
| D．We don’t know. |
Which of the following would be the best subtitle for the fourth paragraph?
| A．Future cars | B．Speed control systems | C．Intelligent cars | D．Traffic jams |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．When we buy tickets for flying somewhere else, we can have a talk with the computer. |
| B．If you make a complaint, you can use human telephone operation. |
| C．Drivers will stop using their cars and use public transport in order to prevent accidents. |
| D．The help of electronic route maps will decrease traffic jams. |
The underlined word “titanic” in Paragraph 4 means .
| A．huge and great | B．the name of a ship | C．slight | D．increasing |
The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof cottages around a church, a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white, the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings―these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.
Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts（工艺）practised in the British Isles. Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too.
Thatching is a solitary（独自的）craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practised toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, keeping and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.
In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often unwilling to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to get the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat.Which of the following remains a special feature of the English countryside?
| A．Narrow streets lined with pink or white houses. | B．Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings. |
| C．Cottages with thatched roofs. | D．Churches with cottages around them. |
What do we know about thatching as a craft?
| A．It is a collective activity. |
| B．It is practised on farms all over England. |
| C．It is quite different from what it used to be. |
| D．It is in most cases handed down among family members. |
Thatched houses are still preferred because of _________.
| A．their style and comfort | B．their durability |
| C．their easy maintenance | D．their cheap and ready-made materials |
People in developing countries also live under thatch because ________.
| A．thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction |
| B．thatched roof houses are the cheapest |
| C．thatch is an effective defense against the heat |
| D．they like thatched houses better than other buildings |
Gary Locke, 61, who comes from a Chinese background and even looks Chinese, became the new US ambassador（大使）to China.
“I can think of nobody who is more qualified than Gary Locke.” President Obama said. Locke’s new position is clearly a sign that US President is trying to improve relations with China.
When he made his first speech to the Chinese press in Beijing, Locke said,“I think ,being a Chinese-American, I have a greater understanding of the history and culture of China, but I am here as a representative of the US government.”
Before becoming ambassador to China, Locke was US secretary of commerce(商务部长). This means he has plenty of trade experience, which will be useful in building economic links between the two countries.
Locke’s grandfather went to the United States over a century ago to work as a houseboy for a family in Washington State in exchange for English lessons. His father moved to the US as a teenager.
“I’m going back to the birthplace of my grandfather ,my father and my mom, and I’ll be doing so as a devoted diplomat(外交官) for America，the country where I was born and raised,” Locke said.President Obama thinks Gary Locke ________.
| A．is the right person for the new position |
| B．is still not too old to be an ambassador |
| C．is not qualified as secretary of commerce |
| D．can help improve US relations with Asia. |
What message did Locke express in his first speech in Beijing?
| A．He is proud of his parents and his grandfather. |
| B．He will work for both China and the United States. |
| C．He will represent the US government. |
| D．He was still not ready for his new job. |
Locke will benefit from his ________ as a former secretary of commerce.
| A．trade experience | B．public relations | C．work training | D．government knowledge |
We learn from the text that Locke’s father ________.
| A．worked as a houseboy for an American family |
| B．was born in China. |
| C．moved to the US as a baby. |
| D．was not able to return to China |
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